The Albanian Riviera is one road — the SH8 from the Llogara pass down to Sarandë — and maybe twenty named beaches hanging off it. The mistake is treating it like a checklist. Think in bases and stops instead: a few nights in Himarë or Dhërmi, day moves to the small coves, Ksamil for the islands, and one detour you will talk about later. This is that map, beach by beach, with the honesty turned on.
Start at the top: the Llogara descent
The Riviera begins with theatre. The SH8 climbs through pine forest to just over 1,000 metres at Llogara, and then the Ionian appears below you, all at once, with the road switchbacking down to it. Stop at the pass viewpoint like everyone else — it is mandatory for a reason. The first beaches at the bottom, Palasë and Drymades, are where the Caribbean-water photos come from, and out of peak season they are nearly empty.
Best bases: Himarë and Dhërmi
Himarë is the balance point — a real town that exists in winter, with beaches on both ends, tavernas that fish for their own menu, boat trips from the harbour, and striking distance to Gjipe, Porto Palermo, and Qeparo. Dhërmi is more polished and more energetic: beach clubs, festivals in June, cocktails after midnight. Choose by temperament. Families and slow travellers do better in Himarë or stone-village Qeparo; the music crowd already knows it wants Dhërmi.
The small beaches are the point
Gjipe is the famous one — a canyon mouth with a beach at the end, reached by a 25-minute walk down from the parking or by boat, and worth it either way. Jala is a smaller, younger Dhërmi. Livadhi is big enough to absorb crowds. Further south, Borsh is the longest beach in Albania with olive terraces running straight into the sea, and Bunec and Lukovë get quieter the further you drop. Krorëz you reach by boat from Sarandë, which is precisely why it still looks the way it does. These small beaches are not always easy by bus — and that is part of why they still feel small.
One detour: Porto Palermo
Ten minutes south of Himarë, a near-island in a closed bay with Ali Pasha's triangular fortress on top. Swim off the rocks, walk the castle for a euro or two, and get the photograph that explains the Riviera better than any beach shot. If the wind ruins a beach day, this is the move.
Ksamil, the reality check
The water around the Ksamil islands is genuinely exceptional — that part of the postcard is true. The rest of the truth: July and August are shoulder-to-shoulder, much of the sand is concession loungers, and parking is a contact sport. Go early, know which sections are public beach, and when you need space, Butrint lagoon's mussels or the Monastery beach are ten minutes away. In June or late September, Ksamil needs no caveats at all.
Road rhythm
The coast road is slow, scenic, and better with stops — plan it like a tasting menu, not a motorway. Sarandë to Dhërmi is barely 60 kilometres and takes a comfortable two hours once you accept the viewpoints, the swim stops, and the lunch that runs long. One base move per day is the right tempo; two is a forced march.
Useful notes
- Carry water shoes — most Riviera beaches are pebble, and the difference between owning them and not is your whole afternoon.
- Bring cash for parking, loungers, and the smaller tavernas; cards work in Himarë and Dhërmi proper.
- June and September are the sweet spot: warm sea, full menus, half the bodies.
- Base yourself properly — browse Himarë and Dhërmi stays, or take the 8-day Riviera itinerary ready-made.
